Part 10 (1/2)
”Get to sleep before I tuck you in with this cane, vole, and don't let me catch you napping when we start to march again,” Wartclaw's voice hissed dose to her ear.
He strode off, chuckling to himself and shaking his head. ”Must've had a featherbed life in that Redwall place before we got our daws on 'em. . . . Huh, can't sleep, sir!”
Cynthia sat up partially. ”He's gone now. Oh, do hurry up!” she said, her voice trembling.
Scurl scampered swiftly up and seized the things the others had collected for him.
”Hmm, notmuch, notmuch. Funny bell, though. Nice ring, soft white rope, nice on Scurl.” He held the white habit girdle against his red underside.
Tess gave a look of mock admiration. ”Oh, that does look nice on you. Now put the bracelet on your tail. No, like this. Let me see ... oh yes, hang my beechnut bell around your neck. Very handsome. Tuck the blue flowers in the thong up by your frill. There! You can carry the green stone.”
Auma placed a paw upon Scud's back. ”Just a moment, where's the keys?”
The newt gave her a scornful glance. ”Don't carryem. Huh, wouldn't carryem, gotter go for em.”
113.
Auma kept her paw firmly on Scurl. ”How do I know you'U come back?”
Scurl stood upright, his eyes wide and a dignified expression upon his face. ”Stripedog, you be no woodlander, right?”
Auma nodded glumly. ”No, I'm from the western plain. I'm a flatland badger.”
”I be woodlander, tellem 'bout woodlander rule, mouse.” Scurl smiled disarmingly.
Tess turned to Auma. ”He's right, we have a woodland code. All honest and true woodlanders are pledged to help each other and never to harm a living creature.”
Scurl removed Auma's paw and patted it in a friendly way. ”You see, stripedog.”
Before anyone could lay another paw on him, Scurl was away like a streak. He dashed back into the long gra.s.s, far from where the chained-up captives could reach him. They could see the red flash of his underside as he danced and pranced about.
”Sillybeast, sillybeast, trusting me.
Made you think I had a key.
Stupid you, clever me, '
Scurl has pretty gifts for free.”
Angrily Auma tore up a huge sod of earth and flung it with all her strength.
Qumph!
It struck Scurl, knocking him flat. The crested newt lay for a moment then pulled himself up, spitting out gritty black earth and rubbing soil from his eyes.
”Might have adda key, might have letcher free, but you'U never know now, w.i.l.l.yer.”
He scampered off into the night forest.
”Whaf s all the shouting about here?”
Slagar and Threeclaws stood over the captives. Between them they had a small hedgehog. Threeclaws stooped to manacle the hedgehog to the running chain.
114.
”I said, what's all the noise about?” Slagar repeated.
Tim grunted wearily. ”Oh, nothing really. That great lump of a badger was rolling over in her sleep and pulling me about on the chain.”
Slagar kicked at Auma, ”Well, you won't have to worry about sleeping right now, we're marching again.”
A groan arose from the prisoners. Threeclaws ignored it, and glanced across his shoulder into the woodlands.
”Come on, lef s get moving. We can be well away from this place by morning,” he said.
Slagar called Vitch. ”You and Browntooth stop at the rear and cover the tracks. I don't want that hedgehog's family knowing which way we've gone.”
Sleepily they ploughed onward through the night-time woodland. A crescent moon above winked at them through the softly swaying treetops. Mattimeo caught a glance of Tess. She was brus.h.i.+ng away a tear.
”Tess, whaf s the matter?”
The little churchmouse sniffed and dried her eyes.
”Oh, if s nothing. Only that seasonday present was the last thing I had to remind me of Mum and Dad and Red wall. Do you think we'll ever see them again, Matti?”
Mattimeo suddenly felt grown up and responsible. ”Of course we will, Tess. Take my word for it, I promise you.”
”Thank you, Mattimeo.” Tess managed a small smile. ”The word of the Redwall Warrior's son is good enough for me.”
”Stop that talking down there and get in line. Keep moving, d'you hear!”
The little hedgehog nudged Auma. ”Where are they taking us? Do they always shout like that?”
”Hmm,” the badger yawned. ”They're always shouting about one thing or another, though where they're taking us, well, your guess is as good as mine. I'm Auma. What's your name?”
”Jube.”
”That's a good name.”
”Glad you like it. I don't. It's short for Jubilation. I'm the only male in a family of ten females. You should see my sisters, great big bullies they are. When I was bom Mum said to Dad: 'It's not a female. What'll we call him?' My old dad was so pleased he shouted: 'O Jubilation!' But you can call me Jube. I'd dearly hate to be this Slagar fox when my family catches up with him and these rascals.”
For the first time in a long while the friends found themselves chuckling at the young hedgehog. He seemed quite unconcerned that he had been made captive, looking on it as only a temporary measure until his family caught up with the slavers.
Mattimeo dearly wished he could share Jube's optimism.
116.
Cheek the young otter was never still. He kept bounding ahead of Jess, Matthias and Basil and running back to chide them.
”Come on, it'll be the middle of next season before we get anywhere, the way you plod along.”